Tad Friend in the New Yorker thinks so. This article by Friend talks about funny woman Anna Faris, and the particular problems Hollywood seems to have with having women in quality comedic roles. In the article, Friend refers to the Bechdel Test, a way of examining movies for gender bias. The test poses three questions: Does a movie contain two or more female characters who have names? Do those characters talk to each other? And, if so, do they discuss something other than a man?
Here at WIFT, we're tempted to head out to our closest DVD store, pick three random blockbusters and Bechdel test them - but not having a store close to the office, we can't do this now. We'd love to hear from members about movies that have surprised YOU with how they've done on this test (either a surprising pass, or surprising fail).